


Beauty is Pain

by keirakeiraa



Category: Original Work
Genre: Cults, Gen, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:27:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28236174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keirakeiraa/pseuds/keirakeiraa
Summary: A young girl, Poppy, meets a strange but welcoming group of girls when forced to deviate from her typical routine due to the weather.
Kudos: 1





	Beauty is Pain

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very short story that I wrote about a little over a year ago and have edited a bit. A little different from what I normally write and a bit below my skill level at the moment, but I like revisiting old works and thought it would be a good story as my first post on AO3. Hope you enjoy it!

The cafeteria was loud and crowded, albeit clean. A dreadful downpour outside forced Poppy from her usual spot: a tucked-away corner in the courtyard outside. Faces swarmed around her, bodies pushing and pulling, fighting for a place to sit. She was about to turn around and brave the weather, but a hand grabbed her shoulder.   
“Hey! You’re in my biology class, right? You can come and sit with me and my friends,” a vaguely familiar girl said, nodding towards a table surrounded by a friendly-looking group of girls. Poppy smiled at her and followed, breathing a sigh of relief.

As they approached the table, one of the girls seemed to sense Poppy approaching and turned to face her, smiling. Her honey-golden eyes roamed Poppy’s face, pausing for an extra second on her hair before she nodded at an empty seat across from herself. 

“Hi! I’m Venus, and these are my friends. You’re welcome to sit with us whenever you looked so lonely over there,” she said. Poppy began to respond but found her breath stolen. Venus was the most beautiful person Poppy had ever seen. It was impossible to describe, or even understand; an unquantifiable beauty that left Poppy dumbfounded. 

“So why haven’t I ever seen you before?” Venus asked, leaning forward and propping her head in her hands. She blew a strand of thin hair out of her face while locking eyes with Poppy.   
“Um…,” Poppy blinked, hard, and collected herself, “I just moved here. It’s the whole “military parent” thing,” Poppy said, as casually as possible. She didn’t want any sympathy, especially not from people she just met. 

“Oh… interesting. Are you going to be staying here for a while?” The rest of the group looked at Venus as she spoke, then smiled at Poppy. 

“Yes, actually. My parents think this is where we’re finally going to settle.”

“Great! In that case, we’re hanging out at my place after school today and would love it if you came. It seems like you need a couple friends.” Venus stood up with supernatural grace. “The bell is about to ring, but meet me at the front of the school after fifth block if you decide you want to join us!” 

\---

Venus’ room was perfectly clean and big enough for the entire group to sit. They joked around for a while, talking about school and crushes and whatever gossip was currently circulating, but the whole time Venus seemed to be watching Poppy. The room was full of mirrors; big and small, hidden and displayed. 

“Your hair is stunning, Poppy. Mind if I braid it?” Venus said suddenly. “It’s so red. Like fire, or roses, or…” Those golden eyes of hers drew Poppy in, and she nodded. 

“Gods, I wish I had hair like yours,” she huffed, brushing Poppy’s hair out, “mine’s so thin nowadays, and the color is quite dull... maybe you all can help me change it later?” The girls and Poppy nodded.

Poppy gazed into one of the mirrors on Venus’s dresser, admiring the way her hair was wrapped around her head like a crown. She’d never felt prettier, which surprised her. She normally felt self-conscious around girls like Venus. 

“We’re going to the basement to look for alcohol!” Venus shouted from the hall. Poppy took one last look at herself and then followed. Venus’s house had dressers and cabinets everywhere, all adorned with beautiful locks. Poppy guessed her family was one for strange decorations. Venus led them to a large, ornate door and pulled out a key. Holding a finger to her lips, she unlocked the door and crept into the darkness beyond. The stairs seemed to go on forever, but Poppy began her descent. 

There were a couple of couches arranged in a circle in the middle of the basement that the group was sitting on while Venus rummaged through the cabinets. Poppy sat in an armchair near the back wall and noticed that everyone was grinning at her. 

“You’re very pretty Poppy,” one girl said, leaning forward in her seat. “We’re so glad you are our friend now, Poppy,” Another said, tilting her head. 

“Thank you...” Poppy said, looking towards Venus for answers. The girls were a little strange, but at least they were nice. They seemed to be moving together, every shift, turn, and blink unified. Venus strolled over to Poppy, handing her a shot glass of what appeared to be vodka. 

“Drink up,” Venus said, standing in front of Poppy. She stared into Poppy’s eyes, the honey of her own seemingly dripping into Poppy’s soul. Poppy hesitantly downed the glass and recoiled at the sickeningly sweet taste. 

“What is this?” She asked Venus, eyebrows knitting together. 

“Don’t worry, it’s something for only my special friends,” Venus whispered as she reached out to touch Poppy’s head. 

The rest of the group weren’t sitting down anymore. In fact, Poppy couldn’t see them anywhere. She tried to look around the room for them but found that she couldn’t move her head. Her body felt heavy, like it was slowly filling with hot sand. Venus took a long, ravenous look at Poppy’s face before looking over her head and nodding.  
Chanting started to fill the room as Venus turned to the table behind her. She grabbed an elegant knife and drew it across her wrist. Poppy’s eyes widened in horror, panic flashing through her. She tried to scream at Venus to stop as the blood pooled from the cut, but Venus’s face remained ethereal with an immortal peace. She dipped her fingers into the crimson ink and started to draw strange symbols on her face with it. She coated her hair in red and then moved on to Poppy, drawing the same marks on her freckled skin. Tears spilled from Poppy’s eyes, smudging the signs. 

Venus sighed and repaired the damage, smirking at Poppy. “Beauty is pain, dear. You should be thankful I’m taking yours away,” Venus said, taking a step back. 

The chanting stopped and Poppy felt a coldness seep into her. Something was happening inside of her, something that made her stomach churn and pain flash in her every fiber. It got worse, and worse, and worse, so terrible that Poppy thought she was going to die right then and there, and then it suddenly stopped. 

\---  
Poppy couldn’t remember where she was. Why did she have such a bad headache? Her mind spun, wondering who’s body it was residing in. The only thing it could anchor on was a name, and she knew it wasn’t her own. Venus…. Who was Venus? 

A radiant girl with beautiful red hair and honeyed eyes strolled over to Poppy. 

“Hey… You tripped down the stairs and hit your head. Do you know who you are?” Venus asked, her eyes shining, satisfied. 

Poppy told Venus that she couldn’t remember a single thing, and new girls showed up. A feeling washed over Poppy, a feeling of home, of belonging. This was where she was supposed to be, she knew that for a fact. Somehow, these people were her sisters, and Venus… Venus was her everything.

\---

Poppy sat at their usual table in the cafeteria, gazing at Venus and talking with her sisters. Venus searched around, looking for gods know what.

“It’s your time to shine, darling.” She whispered to Poppy, a devilish grin flashing across her face. “See that girl with the pretty nose? She looks lonely. Tell her we would love to have her sit with us.” 

Poppy drifted over to the lonely girl, the rest of the cafeteria a haze. Her time to shine… She couldn’t let Venus down. She twirled a piece of her thin, dull hair as she strolled up to the girl, feigning surprise when she bumped into her.


End file.
